75 pc turnout in first phase of West Bengal elections
n
Polling passes off peacefully n
Highest voting percentage in South DinajpurKolkata, April 18
With paramilitary forces guarding the booths, the first phase of polling for 54 Assembly constituencies in six north Bengal districts passed off peacefully on Monday.

PEOPLE’S POWER: Siliguri residents queue up to cast their votes at a polling station on Monday. — AFP

PIL against Lokpal Bill drafting panel
New Delhi, April 18
A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court today seeking quashing of the notification for setting up the Lokpal Bill drafting committee comprising social activist Anna Hazare, the father-son advocate duo, Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan, and others.

Shanti Bhushan files plea against Amar in CD case
New Delhi, April 18
Former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan today filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against politician Amar Singh and others for “fabricating” a CD in an attempt to scuttle justice in the 2G spectrum scam case and the proposed anti-corruption law - the Lokpal Bill.

Shanti Bhushan, ex-Law Minister

Balakrishnan refuses to make I-T returns public
Kochi, April 18
NHRC Chairman KG Balakrishnan has sought rejection of an RTI petition seeking details of his Income-Tax returns saying the applicant has “malafide intentions” and “vested interests” to tarnish his image and that information is personal in nature.

KG Balakrishnan, NHRC chief

Amar denies doctoring CD, threatens to sue Bhushans
New Delhi, April 18
The controversy over a CD of purported conversation between former UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, a member of the recently formed Jan Lokpal Bill drafting committee, turned murkier today with Amar Singh accusing him and his son Prashant Bhushan of filing PILs to make money.

Jaitapur nuke plant protest turns violent; one dead
Mumbai, April 18
One person was killed in police firing as protests against the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant in coastal Ratnagiri district today turned violent with agitators setting ablaze a police station.

Arunima shifted to AIIMS
Lucknow, April 18
National-level volleyball player Arunima Sinha alias Sonu, who lost her leg after being thrown out of a moving train on April 11, is being shifted to the AIIMS after it was detected that her amputated left leg had been infected and swollen.

The Last Word Yuvraj Singh
Return of the prodigal
The Prince of Indian Cricket is back with a bang and even as the world cheers him on, fans are keeping their fingers firmly crossed
The Prince of the Pitch saunters on to the field, his stance is languorous, but inside is a coiled bundle of muscle ready to explode. His bat connects with the ball and sends it soaring into the firmament… again, and again. That’s Yuvraj Singh when he is good. But when he is not, he is dispatched in the very first ball, that too in front of his home crowd as it happened in the World Cup semifinal against Pakistan at Mohali.

Adarsh scam
Govt depts rapped for ‘casual’ approach
Mumbai, April 18
The two-member inquiry commission, set up by the Maharashtra government to probe the Adarsh housing scam, today rapped several departments for their "casual" approach with regard to the investigation and directed them to submit all relevant documents within a week.

Maj Gen alleges bias in promotion, moves AFT
Chandigarh, April 18
Alleging bias by Gen VK Singh, first in his capacity as the Eastern Army Commander and later as the Army Chief, a Major General has claimed that he was not considered for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General despite having an outstanding career profile.

‘Near-normal’ monsoon this year?
New Delhi, April 18
The government is likely to predict that the rainfall this monsoon will be within the normal range, most probably “near-normal”, with some of key parameters being not so favourable.

Release of sailors top priority, says Antony
New Delhi, April 18
Spelling out the government plan to tackle the hostage crisis in Somalia, Defence Minister AK Antony today said securing the release of seven Indian sailors in pirates’ captivity was the top priority.

Take your call on resignation, Cong tells Puducherry Lt
GovernorNew Delhi, April 18
The Congress today left it to Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh to decide whether or not to resign in the wake of his alleged links with suspected money launderer Hasan Ali. “The matter is between him and the government. It is between the constitutional functionary and the government,” party spokesman Manish Tewari said.

Two killed on suspicion of sorcery in Assam
Guwahati, April 18
A fresh incident of killing of tribal women on the suspicion of indulging in black magic has dampened the spirits of Baisagu (spring festival of Bodo tribe) celebration in Bodo tribe dominated Kokrajhar district of Assam.

EAGER TO VOTE: An elderly woman being carried to a polling booth. — PTI

Kolkata, April 18
With paramilitary forces guarding the booths, the first phase of polling for 54 Assembly constituencies in six north Bengal districts passed off peacefully on Monday.

According to the Election Commission nearly 75 per cent turnout was witnessed in the first phase as over 7.7 million voters sealed the fate of 364 candidates, including 11 sitting Left Front ministers. As many as 38 women are also in the fray. Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi told reporters in Delhi that turnout was "very encouraging".

The turnout in the last Assembly elections in these districts in 2006 was 82.91 per cent, he said.

Chief electoral officer Sunil Kumar Gupta said the polling passed off peacefully under the supervision of EC officials and personnel from the Central police forces. The turnout was low initially due to the heat and humid weather. However, as the day progressed, large queues were seen outside polling booths.

South Dinajpur district recorded the highest polling percentage of 78.17, followed by Cooch Behar (77.10), Malda (75.10), Jalpaiguri (72.57), North Dinajpur (72.43) and Darjeeling (71).

Gupta said voters in six booths, including four in Malda district, boycotted the polls demanding better roads, electricity and PMGSY schemes and 10 people were arrested for trying to influence voters.

He said two presiding officers were replaced at Harirampur and Gangarampur Assembly constituency booths after complaints from Trinamool Congress that they were talking to political party leaders.

According to Zutshi, 15,000 EVMs were used in the polling out of which 92 had to be replaced.

In Darjeeling, the polling in all three hill sub-divisions- Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong - was brisk and at the end of the day, over 80% voting was witnessed.

Railway Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee expressed satisfaction over the turnout and said she was confident that her alliance would thump the CPM-led Left Front. However, Left Front chairman Biman Bose refused to speculate, but said a large turnout was an indication that the people have voted for the ruling front.

TMC puts CPM minister on notice

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy today sent a legal notice to CPM leader and West Bengal minister Gautam Deb for accusing him and party chief Mamata Banerjee of using black money in the election corpus.
— PTI

Fake caller

A caller identifying himself as West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is threatening some people in his constituency Jadavpore, his election agent said in Kolkata on Monday. "The calls came from a 10-digit number. The caller identified himself as the Chief Minister and asked these people to carry out his orders," Bhattacharjee's election agent and former city mayor Bikash Bhattacharya said. "We have lodged a complaint with state Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta," he added.

Rebel MLAs

The Congress on Monday suspended two rebel sitting MLAs in Kolkata and four other party members in Nadia district for contesting against candidates of their poll ally Trinamool Congress. The two had refused to withdraw from Kolkata Port and Metiaburuz constituencies respectively and were contesting as independents against Trinamool Congress nominees there. Meanwhile, over 50 per cent voting was seen in Sirikhola, West Bengal's highest polling booth at 2,800 metres above sea-level.

New Delhi, April 18
A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court today seeking quashing of the notification for setting up the Lokpal Bill drafting committee comprising social activist Anna Hazare, the father-son advocate duo, Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan, and others.

Since the Lokpal Bill was already pending with a Parliamentary committee, the government had no power to appoint another committee to review its provisions, advocate Manohar Lal Sharma contended in the petition. Under the Constitution, such committees could be constituted only by the Lok Sabha Speaker and the President, he said.

A pending Bill could be reviewed only by seeking suggestions from the citizens and as such the “so-called committee has no legal or constitutional right to take away the right of the citizens,” the PIL added. Further, the committee that reviewed Bills could consist of only MPs, it contended.

The petitioner has specifically taken exception to the inclusion of Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan in the committee as they had tried to tarnish the image of the judiciary by describing a number of former Chief Justices of India as corrupt. They should be prosecuted for professional misconduct after a CBI probe, the PIL said.

New Delhi, April 18
Former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan today filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against politician Amar Singh and others for “fabricating” a CD in an attempt to scuttle justice in the 2G spectrum scam case and the proposed anti-corruption law - the Lokpal Bill.

The CD was prepared “may be at the behest of powerful interests which have very high stakes not only in the 2G case in which judgment has been reserved by a Bench (of the SC) presided over by the Judge named in the fabricated CD but also against the anti-corruption law,” the petition said.

Amar Singh “must be involved in this fabrication as he states in the purported conversation that Mr Shanti Bhushan is sitting with him,” the petitioner said, denying that he ever met the politician.

Further, such a CD could only have been made with the help of various other persons, including experts in the field, and this was the result of a clear conspiracy, Bhushan contended.

“It is submitted that the act of fabricating the CD and then sending it anonymously to various news channels and newspapers is a serious attempt to bring not only the informant but also the judiciary under cloud and needs to be taken serious cognizance of,” he said.

Bhushan has sought a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) to find out as to who all were involved in the alleged fabrication.

Bhushan, a senior advocate, has been appointed as Co-Chairman of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee, while his son, Prashant, also an advocate who argued for the PIL petitioner in the 2G case in the SC, is a member of the drafting committee, headed by Finance Minister Pranabh Mukherjee.

Kochi, April 18
NHRC Chairman KG Balakrishnan has sought rejection of an RTI petition seeking details of his Income-Tax returns saying the applicant has “malafide intentions” and “vested interests” to tarnish his image and that information is personal in nature.

He said the returns carried details of PAN card and bank account number, which is personal information with "enough possibility of tampering and misuse".

In his additional affidavit before the I-T Department's First Appellate Authority in the RTI matters Balakrishnan said he had filed these returns in his "personal capacity and not under the capacity of the Chief Justice of India." Income-Tax authorities had in February last year refused to reveal details of tax returns filed by Balakrishnan and his family members on the RTI application by Dr T Balachandran, Executive Member of Kerala RTI Federation, after the former CJI objected to the disclosures.

The affidavit filed by his counsel further stated that income derived from any of the assets a divulged by Balakrishnan is purely personal in nature and publishing the same will certainly an "invasion to the personal liberty" of the person, which attracts exemption from disclosure under Section 8(1)(J) of the RTI Act, 2005.

The Section cited exempts information, which is personal in nature unless competent authority is satisfied that disclosure would be in larger public interest.

In his affidavit, Balakrishnan said the clause of larger public interest does not hold in the instant case seeking disclosure of the Income-Tax returns of Balakrishnan as the assets are already published on the Supreme Court’s website.

"If the appellant has any objection to the same he can very well approach the authority, but that doesn't mean that the appellant has any right to get any personal information of an individual if it is covered by Section 8(1)(J) of the Right to Information Act," the affidavit said.
— PTI

New Delhi, April 18
The controversy over a CD of purported conversation between former UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, a member of the recently formed Jan Lokpal Bill drafting committee, turned murkier today with Amar Singh accusing him and his son Prashant Bhushan of filing PILs to make money.

Mulayam Singh Yadav also dismissed charges of manufacturing the CD and threatened to file a defamation suit against the Bhushan. Two days ago, Prashant Bhushan had produced forensic reports to claim that the said CD had been doctored and the conversation between Shanti Bhushan and Mulayam Singh had been interpolated. It carries a conversation between Shanti Bhushan and Mulayam Singh Yadav through Amar Singh’s phone, offering to fix a judge for Rs 4 crore.

Bhushan had accused Mulayam Singh of doing this deliberately to discredit the fight against corruption and derail the campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill. Shanti and Prashant Bhushan form part of the Bill drafting committee as members of the civil society along with Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and Santosh Hegde.

Mulayam Singh said, “I want to know how the income of Shanti and Prashant Bhusan has risen drastically ever since they started filing PILs.” He also mentioned reports of the family forcibly occupying a sprawling palatial bungalow in the posh Civil Lines area of Allahabad and accused them of depriving the UP exchequer of the actual registration amount.

Mumbai, April 18
One person was killed in police firing as protests against the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant in coastal Ratnagiri district today turned violent with agitators setting ablaze a police station.

The man, identified as Tavrez Sejkar, was killed in police firing at Sakhrinate village when around 600-700 locals protesting against the proposed 9,900 MW project, attacked the local police station, Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil told the state Assembly. He said the agitators stormed the police station when most officials were on duty at the project site in Jaitapur since the locals were to stage a demonstration there.

Anger was brewing in the area following Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh's statement here last Friday ruling out a "rethink" on the project. Patil said the protesters were also suspected to have decamped with some firearms and ammunition.

"A Deputy Superintendent of Police and some constables have been injured in the incident," Patil said, adding the violent crowd set afire some police vehicles, forcing the police to fire in the air to scare the protesters away. However, as that failed to bring the situation under control, police fired at the crowd resulting in the death of Sejkar. The minister's statement drew angry criticism from the Opposition with Girish Bapat (BJP), Bala Nandgaonkar (MNS) and Subhash Desai (Shiv Sena) accusing the government of not taking seriously the protests against the proposed facility.
— PTI

Lucknow, April 18
National-level volleyball player Arunima Sinha alias Sonu, who lost her leg after being thrown out of a moving train on April 11, is being shifted to the AIIMS after it was detected that her amputated left leg had been infected and swollen.

“Arunima is being shifted to AIIMS, New Delhi, for better treatment. Her condition is stable," CSM medical university Chief Medical Superintendent SN Shankhwar said.

“I have been informed by doctors that the condition of the player is serious but stable. I have offered all the help for her treatment, where ever her family wants, whether in Lucknow or in New Delhi. The Sports Ministry will bear the expenses for it,” Maken told reporters.

"I have asked the officials of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to visit the athlete in hospital and give their report on her health to the ministry on a daily basis," the minister said.
— Agencies

UP offers her job

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Government on Monday offered Arunima a job. “We offered her a job...I told her that she can get the job either in the sports directorate or at the sports college. It is up to her to decide," UP Sports Minister Ayodhya Prasad Pal told reporters here.

The Last Word Yuvraj Singh
Return of the prodigal
The Prince of Indian Cricket is back with a bang and even as the world cheers him on, fans are keeping their fingers firmly crossed
Sunil Narula

The Prince of the Pitch saunters on to the field, his stance is languorous, but inside is a coiled bundle of muscle ready to explode. His bat connects with the ball and sends it soaring into the firmament… again, and again. That’s Yuvraj Singh when he is good. But when he is not, he is dispatched in the very first ball, that too in front of his home crowd as it happened in the World Cup semifinal against Pakistan at Mohali.

In recent days, he has had a dream run. In nine World Cup matches, Yuvraj scored 342 runs, took 15 wickets, fielded like a man possessed and walked away with the Man of the Tournament award in Mumbai. He could do no wrong, and the Yuvi who played loosely had been relegated to the pages of history.

Yuvraj has carried that phenomenal form of the World Cup into this new season of the IPL as well. This time, Yuvi is not playing for his home franchise - King’s XI Punjab - but is the captain of the new franchise, Pune Warriors. As Pune captain, Yuvraj started with two wins. He put up a superb all-round show against Delhi Daredevils as well, but his team lost.

Once again, it has been his bowling that has stood out. He has always been a savage hitter of the ball, but it’s his newfound confidence and success with the ball that has taken everyone by surprise.

The months leading up to the World Cup were hard for Yuvraj. He was dropped from the Test as well as the ODI team. He had to go back and play domestic cricket for his state, Punjab. His critics were becoming strident and numerous by the day. His lack of fitness and discipline were the hot topic of discussion in cricketing circles.

His old IPL franchise, King’s had earlier removed him from captaincy and handed over charge to Kumar Sangakkara. There was talk that Yuvraj was sulking and not giving his hundred percent in IPL 3, as the team finished at the rock bottom.

He figured in the ‘Top 10 Sporting Egos’ put together by London’s Daily Telegraph in January. The report said: “Wonderfully talented teenager got lost in the ‘tamasha’ which accompanied the Indian Premier League. Ego, bank balance and waistline have all swollen in recent years, but his performances have deserted him. Lost his rag completely last summer when, as India’s 12th man in Colombo, Sri Lankan fans mocked him as ‘waterboy’.”

Yuvi, however, refused to be written off. It is credit to his resilience that he took it all on the chin and resolved to get back into shape, form and the Indian team.

Senior players admire Yuvi’s never-say-die spirit. “Whenever you write him off, he strikes back with a vengeance,” says former India captain Ajit Wadekar.

Another former India captain Chandu Borde feels the same about Yuvraj. “It was remarkable the way he bowled in the World Cup. He was like a specialist bowler. He must have worked really hard on his bowling. It was there for everybody to see. You cannot achieve such success without hard work. I will say he is a very fine player and he has it in him to become a great player like Sachin and Lara.”

For his part, Yuvi gives most of the credit for the marked improvement in his bowling to former India spinner and now national selector, Narendra Hirwani. “I just did some counselling and fine-tuned his action. He tried it and felt good. I simply gave him the confidence that you are a good bowler,” says Hirwani.

Many were mighty impressed with Yuvraj’s zeal to bounce back and do well in the World Cup. Outgoing Team India coach Gary Kirsten said: “This time, he was really determined to be the best. He got dropped from the team and when he came back, I could just sense it. He worked really hard with Paddy Upton (the mental conditioning coach) and Eric Simmons (the bowling coach). He worked really hard with his batting. I’m proud of him.”

Yuvi feels the same way himself. “Getting dropped was a bad feeling. I went back to domestic cricket and played for Punjab. I really put in the hard yards and got back into shape. I was just determined to make it count,” says the dashing left-hander, whose father Yograj Singh also played one Test for India.

When Yuvi was taking his first steps into the big league and playing for India under-19, his father would predict that Yuvi would not just become a good player, but would also go past Brian Lara, Viv Richards and Sachin Tendulkar. At that time, it was felt that Yograj was getting too emotional. Today, it seems that Yog was right about his son even way back in 1996.

Former India player Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was the captain of the Punjab team when Yuvraj made his Ranji Trophy debut, gives a lot of credit to Yuvi’s father for making him the cricketer he is today.

“He (Yograj) devoted a lot of time and energy into training hard with him. He set up halogen lights at home and would keep teaching him the cover drive late into the night. His mother (Shabnam) was also very keen that Yuvi should get a break in the Punjab Ranji team. His parents really wanted Yuvi to become a cricket player and today he has really done them proud,” says Sidhu.

That Yuvi was a special and precocious talent was never in doubt. In only his second ODI, the 19-year-old smashed the strong Australian bowling attack in the Champions Trophy at Nairobi in 2000.

Sourav Ganguly was so impressed with Yuvi’s talent that he could never even contemplate leaving him out of the Playing XI. He called Yuvi “a special talent”. Ganguly was right, of course. And, if people still had doubts, these misgivings evaporated in Durban in September 2007 when Yuvraj slammed six sixers in an over of England’s Stuart Broad.

IPL founder Lalit Modi was present in Durban that evening and announced he would gift Yuvi a state-of-the-art sports car, which he later did. Modi was quite fond of Yuvi and the feeling was mutual. When Modi was ousted by the BCCI, Yuvi was amongst the first to post him a message of support on Twitter and that certainly did not go down well with the BCCI honchos. Now whether that had anything to do with Yuvi being dropped from the Indian team is something that could not be confirmed.

He also plans to start two cricket academies (one in Noida and the other in Lucknow). Former Punjab all-rounder Sandeep Sharma, a long-time friend of Yuvraj, will help him in the project. Currently, Yuvi is talking with sponsors about this project.

The star player recently announced that he would give Rs one lakh to the national level football and volleyball player Arunima Sinha, who lost her leg after being thrown out by from a running train near Bareilly.

This fiery Punjab player has often been misunderstood, say his friends, and there is more than a grain of truth in that assessment. Outwardly, he comes across as brash but, in fact, he is quite the opposite. He loves parties and nightlife, but he also understands his responsibilities as a player. He loves food, but he also works hard on his fitness. He loves cars, but he doesn’t run over people.

These are also the traits that make him a hit with the fairer sex and he remains one of the country’s most eligible bachelors. Girls like his macho image and also find him cute. Be it Kim Sharma, Deepika Padukone, Karishma Kotak, Aanchal Kumar or Jennifer Kotwal, they have all had a soft corner for him. Actor Ameesha Patel was Yuvi’s special guest at the World Cup final and cheered for him vociferously!

Ask Yuvi about his plans of getting married and he gets all coy. “I’m waiting for the right girl and have still not found her,” he says. Like his famous batting style, Yuvi is bound to get his timing right here too. It’s just a matter of connecting at the right moment.

Mumbai, April 18
The two-member inquiry commission, set up by the Maharashtra government to probe the Adarsh housing scam, today rapped several departments for their "casual" approach with regard to the investigation and directed them to submit all relevant documents within a week.

Many government departments, including the MMRDA, Revenue and Forest, BMC, Home, Environment Ministry, PWD and Urban Land department, were issued summons directing them to produce before the commission today all documents pertaining to the scam-hit Adarsh Society.

However, except the BMC, all the departments sought one week's time to submit all the files along with an index.

"How much time does it take to bring files. The state government officials should be responsible and not casual in their approach. They are forgetting that they are giving evidence to a court," Retired high court judge Justice J A Patil, who is heading the commission, said in its inaugural hearing in the case.

The commission has now directed the government departments to submit all the files within a week.

The commission, which was set up in January by the state government, was expected to submit its report within three months. However, due to logistical glitches, the commission began its work from February and hence sought extension of three more months. It is now expected to submit its report by June 7.

The panel was constituted to look into the matter of land ownership of Adarsh Society, if the land was reserved for Kargil war martyrs, reservation of flats, expansion of adjoining road, change in reservation of the BEST plot, alleged role of bureaucrats and violations of the CRZ norms.

The commission's probe would run parallel to the inquiry by the CBI, which has registered a case against 13 persons, including former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, for alleged criminal conspiracy, fraud and misuse of official powers.

The Society was built on a prime piece of land, allegedly belonging to the Defence Ministry. It was originally meant to be a six-storey structure, but later it got permission - against rules - to build 31 floors.
— PTI

Chandigarh, April 18
Alleging bias by Gen VK Singh, first in his capacity as the Eastern Army Commander and later as the Army Chief, a Major General has claimed that he was not considered for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General despite having an outstanding career profile.

In his petition that came up for hearing before the Armed Forces Tribunal here, Maj Gen TS Handa has contended that he was awarded a “displeasure” by Gen Singh in 2008 and given “lukewarm” annual confidential reports (ACRs) in contray to his earlier profile and his performance for the said period.

A non-statutory complaint filed by him with Army Headquarters against his ACRs was rejected by Gen Singh when he was later elevated as the Army Chief.

Handa became a Major General in July 2007 and was posted as the General Officer Commanding 57 Mountain Division in the North-East. In May, one of his brigade commanders took up a case with him for posting out a woman officer from that sector as she was the only woman officer in an area of intense counter-insurgency operations and had consequently developed suicidal tendencies. On seeing the sensitivity of the matter, he forwarded the case to the Army Headquarters to post the woman in an area where several woman officers were posted.

However, the Major General claims that he was blamed for mishandling the case and was given a “displeasure” by Gen Singh without even being spoken to or being asked for an explanation. He was also given a low grading in his next two ACRs, despite his achievements. He claimed in his petition that he had executed the first ever counter-insurgency operation in and around Loktah Lake in Manipur, which resulted in the so-called Prepak Cobra group, which that had launched attacks on the Manipur Assembly and the Chief Minister’s residence, being decimated, thereby giving a major boost to improving the security situation.

New Delhi, April 18
The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition seeking information on the religion of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son, Rahul, under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

A Bench comprising Justices RV Raveendran and AK Patnaik refused to entertain the petition filed by former Haryana police chief PC Wadhwa, challenging the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court holding that such information relating to individuals was “entirely personal” and as such was not covered under the RTI.

Senior Counsel MN Krishnamani, appearing for the petitioner, contended that the Central Information Commissioner should not have declined to provide the information without seeking the response of Sonia and Rahul.

The SC Bench, however, endorsed the HC’s view that such information being personal was not allowed to be disclosed under the Census Act, 1948. The petitioner had contended that the public had the right to know the religion being practiced by political leaders. He said he was seeking the information in the light of conflicting news reports, some describing them as Hindus and others as Christians.

New Delhi, April 18
The government is likely to predict that the rainfall this monsoon will be within the normal range, most probably “near-normal”, with some of key parameters being not so favourable.

At the recent South Asian Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF-2) at Pune, meteorologists admitted that forecasts from different climate models indicated large uncertainty, partly because La Niña conditions were expected to weaken to a neutral state over the course of the monsoon season. A carefully worded consensus statement at the end of the conference said “however, large-scale summer monsoon rainfall over South Asia (of which India is a part), for the season as a whole, would most likely be within the normal range.”

New Delhi, April 18
Spelling out the government plan to tackle the hostage crisis in Somalia, Defence Minister AK Antony today said securing the release of seven Indian sailors in pirates’ captivity was the top priority.

Antony, along with Pranab Mukerjee and P Chidambaram, had been part of the crisis management group meeting held yesterday to take stock of the situation.

Antony said the Indian Naval warship tasked to be off the coast of Somalia, has been stationed to protect the 8 Indian sailors released by pirates on Friday.

A Talwar class frigate, a 4000-tonne vessel, has been diverted from its anti-piracy duties off the Gulf of Aden. “We will not return without the sailors who are held hostage,” said the Defence Minister.

In response to a question if the government was mulling the option of launching commando operations to free the sailors, Antony said: “These are sensitive matters and cannot be discussed.”

On Friday, pirates released eight of the 15 Indian sailors held hostage since September last year. Seven other Indians, including six officers, have been held back despite ransom being paid to the sea brigands. MV Asphalt Venture was hijacked on its way to Durban from Mombassa, Kenya.

Sources said the owners of MV Asphalt Venture have started re-negotiating with the pirates.

New Delhi, April 18
The Congress today left it to Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh to decide whether or not to resign in the wake of his alleged links with suspected money launderer Hasan Ali. “The matter is between him and the government. It is between the constitutional functionary and the government,” party spokesman Manish Tewari said.

Asked how long the Congress would shield Singh in the wake of the Enforcement Directorate asking the Home Minister's permission to question him in Hasan Ali case recommending passport for him, Tewari said: “We as a political party do not hold a brief. He has also explained his position.” When pointed out that Singh was a former AICC secretary, Tewari said when a political person holds a constitutional or gubernatorial position he becomes neutral, politically. To another query on what would be the party's advice to partymen in such circumstances, he said: “We have always held that it is not proper to give advice publicly to those who hold constitutional posts”.

Guwahati, April 18
A fresh incident of killing of tribal women on the suspicion of indulging in black magic has dampened the spirits of Baisagu (spring festival of Bodo tribe) celebration in Bodo tribe dominated Kokrajhar district of Assam.

In an incident of witch hunting, two Bodo women were butchered by a group of armed miscreants at Belguri under the Serfanguri police station in Kokrajhar district. The bodies of the victims, identified as Madani Bodo(55), and Purni Bodo(50), were recovered by villagers from a roadside ditch at Guabari village on Saturday, according to a piece of information received here yesterday.

The police said the miscreants attacked the Bodo women with sharp weapons as well as blunt objects killing them on the spot. They were attacked while returning home from a neighbouring village after celebrating the spring festival with close relatives. The police has remained clueless about the whereabouts of the assailants.

Killing of tribal women on the suspicion of indulging in witchcraft has been a bane in some remote tribal areas of Assam as well as among the adivasi-dominated pockets.

To eradicate the menace of witch hunting, the Assam Police had launched a project called “Prahari”(the sentinel) in certain areas of Kokrajhar district. The project, which was headed by Kula Saikia, IPS, an additional DG in the Assam Police, was working towards enlightening illiterate villagers to do away with the practice of witch hunting.

Mumbai, April 18
Thieves who pilfer copper from telephone and power equipment are having a field day as price of this metal soars around the world.

Utilities like Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited and the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company are reporting higher losses due to pilferage of equipment by thieves looking for copper scrap.

According to the police, the thieves strike at night usually targeting equipment like power transformers installed in remote locations.

“Entire transformers are uprooted and taken away. Even power substations are not spared as thieves try to rob copper windings,” says a senior official of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board.

Early this year, telephone users in South Mumbai were left without telephone and Internet connections as thieves entered underground ducts to pull out copper cables belonging to MTNL.

In January alone thieves made off with copper wiring belonging to the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) worth over Rs 10 lakh in Thane and Navi Mumbai.

Major fire engulfs 24 villages, kills 6
LUCKNOW: Six persons, including two children, were charred to death, between 600 to 700 dwellings reduced to ashes and prima facie damage worth over Rs 50 lakh was reported in a massive fire that spread over 24 adjoining villages in the Mohammadi area of Lakhimpur Kheri district around 150 km from
Lucknow. The next of kin of the deceased have been handed over Rs 1 lakh as relief and the injured would be paid according to the extent of their injuries, said District Magistrate Samir Verma. A survey is being conducted to assess the extent of damage.
— PTI